Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help reduce microplastic pollution in West Dorset constituency.

The Environment Agency is collaborating with the water industry on a suite of investigations into microplastics. This began in 2020 as part of the Chemical Investigations Programme and is continuing into the next phase of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). These investigations will enable a greater understanding of how microplastics enter the environment and what can be done to minimise this. The Environment Agency also recognises that tyre and road wear particles are a significant source of microplastics for the environment and are collaborating with National Highways on research into these sources.